Can Australia do more for the victims in Gaza?

Within Australia, there is widespread concern at the plight of the Palestinian people, who have experienced limited access to aid for over eight months now.

Yet, can the Australian government do more as these horrific events unfold before our eyes?

On the one hand, the Australian government has made supportive statements for the Palestinian people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "I've supported justice for Palestinians my whole life and still do" while Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong urged Israel to show restraint, stating: "The death and destruction in Rafah is horrific. This human suffering is unacceptable."

Yet it is evident the Australian government can do more.

The Australian government has rightfully condemned Hamas and their killing and terrorising of the population on October 7, 2023.

It has also frequently urged caution from Israel, but it has not taken the stronger steps which other Western countries such as Ireland, Norway, Spain and Slovenia have implemented to condemn the mass atrocities which Israel is committing in Gaza.

Why is this necessary? Since the events of October 7, Israel has arguably responded through revenge and the political self-interest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than in "self-defence" as it has claimed.

On May 24, 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel should "halt its military offensive" in Rafah.

Yet Israel has continued to assault the area, resulting in over 800,000 people being displaced and the largest hospital shutting down there.

As such, independent UN experts in the past week issued a press release through the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, stating governments and companies must stop arms transfers to Israel or risk continued human rights violations.

In the past week, Israel has killed 22 displaced civilians, sheltering in their tents in Mawasi in southern Gaza and damaging a Red Cross office.

This area was identified as a safe humanitarian zone by the Israel Defence Forces. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike targeting the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) centre in Gaza killed eight people.

The day before, the Israeli army strapped an injured Palestinian man to a jeep in the West Bank, driving him around as human shield.

This is the latest in a long list of actions taken by the Israeli government which have amounted to "plausible" genocide in the eyes of the ICJ.

From withholding aid to civilians, prompting starvation, to the use of white phosphorus weapons and the bombardment of safe zones and humanitarian workers, Israel has continued unabated in its attacks.

More than 37,000 people in Gaza have so far been killed and 84,000 injured. Gaza has the largest group of amputee children now in the world.

So what more can Australia do to try to end the atrocities being committed against Palestinians?

First, as the Labor senator for WA Fatima Payman and the Greens have argued, Australia should recognise Palestine as a state. This would align Australia with 146 countries, the majority of the world. Australia would join the recent additions of European countries Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise Palestine.

This acknowledges Palestine's right to self- determination as in Articles 1 and 55 of the Charter of the United Nations. While Australia has rightfully highlighted the right to self-determination with Ukraine, it has not afforded Palestine the same recognition.

Second, Australia should cut all military ties with Israel, as UN experts urge. While the Australian government has claimed it has not sent military equipment to Israel since the start of the war, Australian companies have continued to provide components for equipment used by the IDF in its war on Gaza.

For example, it has been reported Australian companies have 70 contracts with Lockheed Martin (responsible for manufacturing the F-35 fighter jets used to bomb Gaza), worth $A4.13 billion. A Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to cease supplying components for the F-35s. Australia should follow suit.

This would also mean stopping the involvement of Israeli companies in Australian weapon manufacturing. Controversially, Australia awarded a contract of $917 million to the Israeli Elbit Systems, widely accused of supporting human rights abuses in Myanmar, to build military equipment in Victoria.

As Israel continues to ignore the ICJ's ruling to halt operations in Rafah and as the International Criminal Court seeks an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu and Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes, the Australian government could also place sanctions on Israel and expel Israel's Ambassador to Australia.

Not taking further action will only see Australia as a further contributor to "plausible" genocide and crimes against humanity.